Fire rips through Mathambo informal settlement
Updated | By Steve Bhengu
Residents of the informal area of Mathambo, near Avoca in Durban, were woken by screams for help as a fire ripped through the settlement.
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A devastated homeowner, who lost all her belongings, says the fire was sparked by a lamp which short-circuited.
The blaze allegedly began at around 5 am and burnt four informal dwellings to the ground.
READ: Nzimande condemns torching of UKZN's student residence
A man who helped rescue people and douse the flames recounts the ordeal.
"When I came outside, I saw people screaming. There's a couple of guys that I stay with so I woke them up and told them guys 'There's a fire', so we ran down to help the people.
"We grabbed some buckets, another guy got a hosepipe and tried to stop the fire from spreading over. The electricity cables are running all over the show here."
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